I spend too much time on the Pinterest gardening section. It’s fun to look at the cool things people do with their amazing gardens, while I’m stuck living the poor college girl life. I live in a small apartment with no outside space for anything, not to mention a garden.
One day, I found a photo of someone who was growing celery in a can indoors. The photo came from 17apart.com, and suggests you “never have to buy celery again!” Intrigued, I discovered all the person had done was chop off the base of celery bought in the store, the bottom end that many people toss out anyway. After setting it in a dish of water for a few days, little leaves actually started sprouting from the top of the section that had been chopped off! After about a week, the base was planted in a mixture of dirt and potting soil, and continues to thrive months later. Once the stalks are tall enough, you can actually chop off a couple stalks as needed and keep the plant growing.
I had to try this. The cost of produce (and everything else for that matter) seems to be rising, and since many of us have limited income, I wanted to share. I planted my celery almost one week ago, and it’s beginning to sprout the tiny leaves on top! This weekend, I’ll be planting it in soil, and I couldn’t be more excited!
But upon deeper research, I discovered there’s more! There’s a whole world of crops that we can grow inside with just a little sunlight! This same concept can be used for lettuces, such as romaine or bibb lettuce. So needless to say, I am also beginning to grow romaine as well. I read that it does not need to be transplanted in soil, and it will just grow in a dish of water.
And one more thing that can be easily grown indoors is scallions. Same thing: place them in a jar or glass of water, chop off what you need, and they will regrow in just a few days. This is the next one I’m going to try, and also from 17apart.com.
So even if you live in a tiny dorm room, all you need is one sunny windowsill and you can begin saving money on veggies! It’s a small project, but something well worth it because they’re healthy and something you can be proud of for a long time.
For more information, here are the websites I got my information from:
Celery: http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/growing-celery-indoors-never-buy-celery.html
Lettuce: http://threepsandq.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/peculiarities-and-plants-rom…
Scallions: http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/how-to-grow-green-onions-indefinitely.html
Photo Sources:
http://cache.gifts.com/photos/opd/A/H/W/J/AHWJXXARZ4FM8NECA9RV.jpg
http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/growing-celery-indoors-never-buy-celery.html
http://threepsandq.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/peculiarities-and-plants-rom…
http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/how-to-grow-green-onions-indefinitely.html